Blind Syrian artist makes her dreams come true in Turkey
Syrian Shireen Khalil, a visually-impaired painter and mother of four, settled in the eastern province of Turkey's Diyarbakır after leaving her hometown in Syria about 10 years ago. The 40-year-old artist is completely blind in her right eye, and can barely see with her left. After working as a teacher to make a living, she signed up for a leather-craft course at the Turkish Employment Agency (İŞKUR) and had the opportunity to continue her art journey by painting on leather, rocks, ceramics, walls, pottery and fabrics.